This is the second tape of an interview with Great War (WW1) veteran Gwilym Blair Williams, born in 1892, by David Mathias. Recorded in 1982.

This interview captures Gwilym Blair’s vivid memories of early 20th-century life and his service in World War I. Recollections of horse trams and family life in Llanelli, including his father's work in the tinplate and horse-trading industries, which he and his brother followed before the outbreak of war, breeding trotters and stallions.

Blair discusses enlisting in 1914, wartime communication, and censorship, noting the role of the Welsh language. They discuss the breweries of Wales, with particular focus on the Llanelli breweries and remark on their history.

Blair recalls Llanelli as he remembers is and reflects on the changes seen in the 20th century and the decline in industries.

Blair gives a detailed account of life in the trenches: daily routines, gas attacks, cooking, fatigue duties, and the brutality of the Battle of Mametz Wood, where his unit suffered massive casualties. He reflects on the psychological impact of combat and the humour that helped maintain morale.

The interview also covers postwar reflections, medal distinctions, urban changes in Llanelli, his time being billeted in Llandudno and Blair's thoughts on identity and remembrance.

[Due to the quality of the original recordings, originally made on portable cassette recorders in the 1980s, this recording has been heavily processed to enhance the voices captured. In some cases, information is unintelligible. You can reference the Full Transcript of the recording to complement the listening experience.]

Side 1

00:00:04 – 00:00:46: horse trams before WWI in Llanelli.
00:00:53 – 00:01:10: Llanelli RFC
00:01:10 – 00:02:55: Father work at the tinplate works
00:02:55 – 00:05:28: Pony and trap; father training ponies for mining work
00:05:28 – 00:07:03: Breeding trotters; racing in Clyne Valley 1913–14.
00:07:03 – 00:09:56: Volunteering for WWI. Enlisting in 1914 – the effect on his mother.
00:09:56 – 00:12:02: Letters and parcels from home. Censoring of letters and use of Welsh language.
00:12:02 – 00:12:38: WWII anecdote: locals mistook Welsh-speaking soldiers for Germans.
00:12:38 – 00:15:38: Remarks on Welsh and Celtic identity.
00:15:38 – 00:16:54: Welsh breweries, remarks on their history.
00:16:54 – 00:18:54: Local gentry (Colonels Buckley and Neville); work for ex-soldiers work.
00:18:54 – 00:21:13: Llanelli steel industry decline.
00:21:13 – 00:22:23: Kidwelly cockles.
00:22:23 – 00:24:24: Welsh cakes during war.
00:24:24 – 00:30:53: pre-WWI Llanelli and changes in the 20th century
00:30:53 – 00:31:47: Modern county names like Dyfed.

Side 2

00:32:00 – 00:32:22: ‘Old Jack’ former hockey captain
00:32:22 – 00:32:59: Identifying soldiers with common surnames, ‘Williams 87’.
00:33:01 – 00:34:20: WW1 Medals, including 1914 Star given to Old Contemptibles.
00:34:39 – 00:36:05: Rum rations on the front line
00:36:06 – 00:37:39: Life in the trenches: cooking with fire
00:37:55 – 00:38:38: Routine trench duties
00:38:38 – 00:41:14: Mametz Wood: initial advance
00:41:14 – 00:41:41: Mametz Wood: feeling free attack.
00:41:41 – 00:42:39: Mametz Wood: losses and chaos of battle
00:42:39 – 00:43:24: Mametz Wood: post battle, fear of counterattack.
00:43:24 – 00:44:21: Mametz Wood: combat inside wood.
00:44:21 – 00:44:32: Mametz Wood: recovering bodies.
00:45:17 – 00:46:49: Description of eccentric commanding officer
00:46:49 – 00:49:02: Fellow officers
00:49:02 – 00:49:15: Englishmen serving in Welsh units.
00:49:25 – 00:49:39: Billeting in Llandudno
00:49:55 – 00:52:00: Llandudno; attending concerts, remarks on John Barbirolli
00:52:53 – 00:53:25: Wartime photos
00:54:17 – 00:54:57: Mathias WW1 research
00:54:57 – 00:56:08: Soldiers feelings towards the war of ‘annoyance’
00:56:08 – 00:56:53: Soldiers’ attitude to cope
00:56:53 – 00:58:59: Remarks on accounts of injury and non-combat deaths from shock waves.
00:58:59 – 01:00:26: Compared WWI trench life to Anzio in WWII
01:00:26 – 01:01:04: Ypres under constant shelling; Hellfire Corner.
01:01:04 – 01:02:17: German shelling regularity and tactics.
01:02:17 – 01:02:59: German precision and regularity of machine gun fire.